NEW YORK — Friday night’s Subway Series opener at Citi Field is not just a rivalry game. It is a pitching story worth paying attention to.
One pitcher spent four seasons closing games for the Yankees. He was a fan favorite. A bullpen anchor. A postseason contributor in pinstripes. Now he wears a Mets uniform and is coming for the team that once counted on him.
The other pitcher is 24 years old. He has built one of the best starts to a season of any starter in the American League. He is the reason the Yankees still have a rotation worth trusting while their ace is headed for an MRI.
The game starts at 7:15 p.m. at Citi Field. It airs on Apple TV+. It will also be streamed live on a Times Square billboard.
Clay Holmes against Cam Schlittler. A former Yankees star facing the pitcher who may have taken his place.
Clay Holmes: From Yankees closer to Mets starter
Holmes spent four seasons in the Yankees bullpen from 2021 to 2024. He came over via trade from Pittsburgh. He became one of the most reliable late-inning arms in baseball.
In 2022, Holmes posted a 2.54 ERA with 20 saves across 63 appearances. He finished fifth in AL Cy Young Award voting. That is remarkable for a reliever. His sinker was nearly impossible to elevate. He generated ground balls at an elite rate and handled the Yankees’ most pressure-filled innings.
He signed with the Mets as a free agent and made the move from bullpen to rotation. In 2026, Holmes has carried that transition into one of the better starting seasons in the National League. Entering Friday, he carries an ERA below 2.00 (1.86) as a Mets starter. He brings a 4-3 record with 37 Ks and 1.01 WHIP.
Friday is the first time Holmes will face the Yankees since leaving the Bronx. He will stand 60 feet six inches from hitters he used to protect. The lineup is familiar. The jersey is not.
For Yankees fans, the sight of Holmes in a Mets uniform will carry weight. He was trusted in big moments. He performed in the 2022 postseason. He gave the Bronx bullpen a clear identity during some of their most competitive recent seasons.
Now he is the obstacle. The Yankees are coming off a 1-5 road trip. Max Fried is heading for an MRI on Thursday with left elbow soreness. The rotation is under stress. Holmes pitches against a team that needs a response.
Cam Schlittler: the Yankees’ rotation revelation in 2026
Cam Schlittler was not a widely known name entering this season. He is now.
The 24-year-old right-hander has been the Yankees’ most consistent starter in 2026. Entering Friday’s start, Schlittler carries an ERA below 2.00. That puts him in the top tier of starters across the entire major leagues this season.
The breakout Yankees ace has a record of 5-1, 1.35 ERA, 59 Ks, and 0.81 WHIP.
The Yankees drafted Schlittler in the first round of the 2021 draft out of the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He worked through the system steadily. He reached Triple-A. He earned his big league opportunity. What he has done with it has exceeded most expectations.
Schlittler is not a pure velocity pitcher. He works with a mix of pitch types. He commands the strike zone. He fields his position well. The results speak for themselves. Start after start, he has given the Yankees length and put opponents away consistently.
On a Yankees rotation that entered the season still waiting for Gerrit Cole to return from Tommy John surgery, Schlittler has been the biggest positive surprise. He has taken the role of de facto staff ace and run with it.
Friday’s start against the Mets is his toughest assignment yet. He goes up against a former Yankees closer who knows this lineup. He pitches in a rivalry game on national streaming with a Times Square audience. He does it while carrying the Yankees’ rotation hopes for the weekend.
What the matchup means for both teams
The Yankees enter the series at 27-17. They sit second in the AL East, 2.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays. They need a strong weekend after a miserable road trip.
The Mets are 16-25. They need wins more urgently. Holmes gives them their best chance on opening night.
The Yankees lead the all-time series against the Mets 83 wins to 69. The two teams split their six meetings last season, three games each. The Yankees have not won the season series outright against the Mets since 2017.
The last time these teams met, in 2025, Max Fried led the Yankees to a 6-4 victory. Fried will not be on the mound this weekend. Schlittler will.
For Holmes, Friday is a statement game. Pitching well against his old team, in the biggest game of MLB’s Rivalry Weekend, is the kind of performance that defines a crosstown move.
For Schlittler, the stakes are different but equally real. Going toe to toe with a pitcher who once owned the Yankees’ most important innings is a chance to confirm he belongs at this level. Not just for a few weeks. All season.
Both pitchers carry an ERA below 2.00. Both will have the city’s full attention. New York will be watching from Citi Field, from their couches and from Times Square.
Who holds the best dagger? What do you think?
